The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1887-06-10
STUCK UP.
Another Express Train on tn
Texas & Pacific Robbed by
Masked Men.
The Job Done by Old Hands Dressed
Like C0untrymen-Immediate
Pursuit
Organized, but the Tnh Lost-Amouni
Taken Supposed to be 81, 1850 and
Registered Packages

uCiO ioo1 HlSut ~ c.4O tuot INC 1cXSS u
Pacific east bound mail and express had
been stopped by four masked men near
Benbrook, q siding ten miles west Of Fort
Worth, and the express and mail cars
robbed. A short time afterward the train
came In and T. Marsh, the express messen-
ger, was interviewed. He says that at 7:45
the train was stopped suddenly on trestle
over Bushy creek, some eight miles west.
He threw open the door to see what was up
and found four robbers guarding the en-
gineer and fireman. Advancing to his car
they threw their pistols down on him and
called out: up with your handsr'
A man appeared to be the leader, who
was at least six feet tall, jumped into the
car and said he wanted all the money ne
had, every cent Of it. Marsh was making
up the run for delivery at Fort Worth and
told the robber that he had the drop on him
and could take all there was. The rObber
started to the safe, holding sack in one
hand and with the other took what he
found in the safe and transferred it to the
sack. He demanded Of the messenger
whether that was the extent Of
the valuables on board, and Marsh
answered that he had it all The
messenger jOcularly asked for cigar, but
the robber said he had none with him.
Jumping out of the car the robber and his
three associates went to the mail car, in
charge Of Mail Agent Skiles. The leader,
jumping into the car, ordered Skies to give
him the registered matter. Three packages
were handed out. After the mail car was
through with the robbers jumped
out, and the four ordering the
engineer and fireman to the cab
told them to 60 on, and ''damn fast too"
The engineer pulled out and as he did so one
shot was fred by one Of the robbers, prob
ably with aview of frightening passengers.
No effort was made to modest any passen-
gers, none Of the coaches being entered.
AS soon as the train reached Fort Worth
Sheriff Ship was notified and went IN
pursuit with posse Of officers. When the
news spread over the city there was great
excitement and hundreds of men offered to
join the pursuing party. A second posse
started out about ten o'clock.
The express messenger says he has no
idea how much money the rObber got, but
it is stated that an express employee says
the amount is $3.50. It is impossible to
tell what amount the registered packages
contained. The robbeK was planned q
good deal OH the order of the one near
Gordon, in January last. The messenger
says the men looked like country men, but
were cool in their work There was q
man who passed by the place Of the rob-
berry Immediately after the crime, who is
thought to be implicated in the matter.
The train came from Ell Paso and may have
had a large sum of money on board, but the
general opinion is that the amount was not
very large.
FRuITLEss PURSUIT.
FORT WORTH, Tex, June 6-Prompt ef.
forts of the sheriff of Tarrant County and
the marshal of Fort Worth with his posse
have proved unavailing. Both have re-
turned and without any information IN re-
gard to the train robbery. Deputy
United States Marshal Morton, of Dallas,
is in the city getting all the facts Of the
robbery, and will track the robbers if he can.
1t is definitely settled that the express COM
pany's losses is 81, $50, the run being light
one on Saturday night.
Saturday night when the Sheriff's posse
reached BenbroOk and the dogs took the
trail nicely, there were great hopes Of
catching the robbers, but after tracing as
far as public road the dogs were all at
sea, and the night having far advanced, the
posse saw nothing to be done but to return
to the city and start again. The second
trip was as fruitless as the first. The
posse headed by the City Marshal has also
reached the city, and they have nothing
whatever to report. They saw no one on
the roads, and the people at the houses
where they inquired had seen no one answer.
ing the description Of the robbers. Unless
the highwsymen came to Fort Worth after
their exploit, they are now many miles
away from here, and the hope Of capture
Is reduced to q minimum.
A rain yesterday afternoon has helped
the robbers in GLIDING the officers, which
was demonstrated to one posse who went to
the trestle to track from, but found the
marks Of what seemed to be an army Of
horses and gave up their efforts in disgust.
There were two or three persons who saw
the two men jump on the engine at Ben
brook. and one Of them, the station agent,
is confident he could pick these two Of the
robbers out Of any crowd.